Crayon-sharpener



No. 625,818. Patented May 30, l89 9.

.1. J. FRASER.

CBAYON SHARPENEB.

(Application filed Feb. 20, 1899.)

(No Model.)

THE Mums Farms 00., PMOTO-L!TNQ., wsumu'rcn n c UNITED STATES PATENTOFFIC JOHN J. FRASER, OF ROSLINDALE, MASSACHUSETTS.

CRAYON-SHARPENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,878, dated May 30,1899.

Application filed February 20, 1899. I Serial No. 706,255. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. FRASER, of

'or sharp edge particularly adapted for drawing and marking.

The invention consists in various features of construction to behereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims. 7

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective of a crayon-sharpener,illustrating one embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2, a vertical sectionthereof, taken longitudinally of the crayon-receiving groove or channelindicated by the line as m; Fig. 3, a cross-sectional detail on dottedlineyy, Fig. 2, showing the relative arrangement of thesharpening-knives and the means for carrying the same; Fig. 4, an underside View of the knifecarrying plates, showing the knife in position;and Fig. 5, an enlarged cross-sectional detail of a portion of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, in the embodiment of my invention there shownfor illus-- tration, A is a suitable base or support adapted to carrythe various parts of the device. Preferably this base or support A willbe shapedas, for instance, like Fig. 1'to provide a receptacle a for thefine particles of crayon that are removed by the action of the knives,together with one or more suitable openings, as a a offering convenientaccess.

to the receptacle (1, and through one or both of which the particlesreferred to may be removed at will.

The upper end of the support A forfcon venience is shown as beveled toform suitable supports for the two plates 1) b, which latter arepreferably made adjustable transversely on the inclined face of thesupport-as, for in stance, by the screws 19, passing through slots b inthe plateswhereby the separation of the plates one from the other may bevaried to accommodate crayons of varying sizes or of said dependingwalls.

to fix the edge to be produced by the action of the knives upon thecrayon. These carrier-plates b b are preferably of thin material, (Ihaving found resilient metal to be the best,) and the inner or adjacentedges of these plates are shown as turned downwardly at a comparativelyabrupt angle to produce the depending wings or walls 12 Figs. 3 and 4C.These walls being without support along their lower edges are more orless resilient or yielding, so as to permit them to spread or recedemore or less under the action of the chalk, as will be described.

Intermediate the length of the two plates 1) b the depending walls bthereof are shown as provided with apertures, through which protrude thesharpening knives or blades 0 0. These blades are secured in suitablemanner to the plates 19 b, they being herein shown as secured to thebeveled supports h, formed upon or at the inner faces of the walls 12that is, the faces at the backs or inner sides For the best resultsthese blades should be adjustably secured in position, as by the screwscpassing through slots 0 in the blades in order that the positions of theblades may be adjusted not only to vary the depth of cut in acting uponthe crayon, but also to compensate for sharpen- 'ing of the blades, (to.The angle of these blades will be such as to produce the best re--sults, I having found the angle here shown to be about right for mostkinds of crayon.

As will be seen by reference to Fig. 3, the depending walls 12 areconverged somewhat toward each other from their upper to their loweredges, as also the blades 0, so that with the device in the positionFig. 1, resting upon a table or counter, a piece of chalk if drawndownwardly through the channel formed between the converging walls I)will be acted upon by the blades or cutters a, protruding through thewalls, and sharpened. The channel or trough between the walls I) isshown as provided with abottom a formed, preferably, by a triangularmember'cast with and secured to the support A. This bottom a has a topsurface of a character such that it serves to support the edge of thecrayon as the latter is drawn' downwardly through the channel or trough.The thin edge of the crayon thus finds a sufficient support to pro venteasy crumbling, and said support also prevents the crayon from beinginserted too deeply into the channel or trough and the consequentremoval of too much of the crayon. After the required edge has beenformed the bottom a prevents the removal of any further material byrepeating the operation.

Frequently the pieces of crayon or chalk vary as to thickness, and ifthe channel formed between the cutter-walls were fixed and unyielding itwould be difficult and at times impossible conveniently to sharpen thesevarying thicknesses of crayon. To provide for these, I have made thewalls b yielding or movable, as described, to enable them to recedesomewhat to accommodate auto matically the thicker pieces of crayonpressed into the channel during the cutting operation, thus to permitthe edge of the chalk or crayon always to be pressed downwardly until itfinds a support upon the bottom a The correct edge is thus insuredregardless of the thickness of the crayon.

The beveled portions N, that carry the knives c, areshown as droppedsomewhat below the main portions of the carrying-plates I), (see Fig.3,) so as to permit free yielding movement of the walls 12 for thepurpose described.

At the lower end of the inclined channel referred to I have provided awiper, (shown as in the form of a notched piece of felt 61,) attached insuitable manner to the support A and which serves to clean the sharpenededge of the crayon as it emerges from the channel. Obviously instead ofthe felt (l I may employ any other suitable material or cleaning devicecapable of cleaning or smoothing the sharpened edge as it emerges fromthe channel.

Referring to Fig. 4, in the preferred construction. the aperture throughwhich the cutter-blade of each. wall protrudes is closed at both top andbottom, at the top by the flat portion of the plate-like carrier and atthe bottom by the bridge portion 6 whereby the movement of the wall atone side of the knife is communicated more or less to the portion at theopposite side thereofthat is, notwithstanding the aperture the wallthroughout its length will respond or move substantially as thoughiinperforate throughout. Furthermore, by providing the yielding walls tocarry the cutters-in other words, by providing yielding supports for thecutters-the latter and the walls will yield more or less during thecutting action, and thereby prevent the crumbling or breaking away ofthe edge of the crayon to the extent that wouldresult if the said wallsand the cutters were absolutely rigid'and unyielding. WVith the rigidand unyielding walls the crayon would stick in the channel between thewalls and cause much difficulty, which is entirely obviated by theyieldingconstruction described.

At the lower end of the channel I have provided an aperture 0, throughwhich the material removed by the cutters may drop into a receptacleprovided therefor.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patout, is

1. A device of the class described, presenting a flaring channel ortrough in and along which the crayon to be sharpened is drawn, and oneor more cutters yieldingly arranged at the side of the said channel ortrough and extending in a direction from the bottom toward the topthereof, to operate, substantially as described.

2. A device of the classdescribed constructed to present a flaringtrough having a yielding or resilient movable side wall, and one or morecutters to act upon the crayon as it is drawn in and along the saidchannel or trough.

3. A device of the class described constructed to present an inclinedflaring trough or channel having one or more yielding movable sidewalls, and means carried by said movable side wall or walls to cut orsharpen the crayon as it is drawn in and along said trough or channel,substantially as described.

4. A crayon-sharpener consisting of a base containing a receptacle,means thereon forming a flaring trough or channel in and along which thecrayon is drawn, and one or more cutters yieldingly arranged at the sideof said trough or channel to sharpen the crayon drawn past the same, asdescribed.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a suitablesupport, of carrier-plates provided with depending wings or walls madefreely yielding, and a cutter or cutters operating in conjunction withsaid walls, as described.

6. A support, the carrier-plates provided with depending resilient andfreely-yielding walls adjustable one toward the other, and a cutter orcutters, to operate as described.

7. In a crayon-sharpener, the combination with a trough or channel inand along which the crayon is drawn, one or more yielding side walls forsaid trough or channel, and cutters or blades carried thereby andmovable therewith, and means adjacent the end of said trough or channelto clean the edge of the crayon emerging therefrom, as described.

8. In a crayon-sharpener, the combination with a support presenting achannel or trough having one or more yielding side walls, and astationary unyielding bottom support, and one or more cutters, of awiper arranged at or adjacent the end of said trough or channel to cleanthe edge of a crayon emerging there from.

9. The combination with a support, of the plates adj ustably mountedthereon and provided with depending yielding walls forming between thema flaring trough or channel in and along which the crayon is drawn forsharpening, and cutters protruding through apertures in the said walls,the latter being united above and below said apertures to IIC cause theportions ofthe walls at opposite 7 sides of the apertures to move asone, and a support for the edge of the crayon, the same being arrangedbetween said yielding walls and at or above the level of the bottoms ofsaid cutters substantially as described.

10. In acrayon-sharpener, the combination with a yieldingly-mountedcutter or cutters to sharpen the crayon, of a fixed support independentof the cutter or cutters to support the edge of the crayon during thesharpening operation.

11. In a crayon-sharpener, the combination with a support for the edgeof the crayon, of

Witnesses:

FREDERICK L. EMERY, LAURA T. MANIX.

